Hallenburg Castle

The Hallenburg is the ruin of a medieval spur castle and a landmark of the town of Steinbach-Hallenberg. It is located on the southwestern slope of the Thuringian Forest in the district of Schmalkalden-Meiningen in Thuringia, Germany. The Hallenburg lies on a porphyry rock, about 80m high, steeply sloping on three sides, on the Arnsberg. In the valley in front of the present ruin lies the town of Steinbach-Hallenberg.

Construction

By whom and when the Hallenburg was built can no longer be determined with certainty today. The construction period of 909, which Johann Sebastian Güth states in his chronicle of the city of Meiningen, is disputed, as there is no evidence. However, the dynastic minor rule of the Lords of Hallenberg could go back to the beginning of the 12th century, as the border course of a Reinhardsbrunn monastery document from 1111 allows conclusions about a dominion around the Hallenburg. The Hallenburg is also said to have been among the castles destroyed by Emperor Otto IV in 1212, which suggests that the present ruin was erected on older foundations by the Lords of Hallenberg at the beginning of the 13th century.

First documentary mention

In 1228, during the disentailment of Rohr Monastery, Reginhald von Haldinberc, among others, is mentioned as a witness. With the acquisition of the Hallenberg lordship by the County of Henneberg in 1232, the dynastic minor rule ended. In 1232, Reinhard von Hallenberg is mentioned as a Henneberg vassal. From the middle of the 13th century, the Hallenburg was the residence, official and administrative seat, protective castle, and central prison of the medieval judicial district of Zent Benshausen. Throughout the entire Henneberg rule, the castle and the Hallenberg office were administered by castle and district officials. In 1268, the Hallenburg itself was first mentioned as "Castum Haldenberc" in a Latin deed of gift.

When the Henneberg comital house split into the lines Henneberg-Hartenberg, Henneberg-Aschach-Römhild, and Henneberg-Schleusingen in 1274, the castle fell to the Hartenberg line. The Hallenburg became the residence of the Counts of Henneberg-Hartenberg. For financial reasons, they pledged the Hallenburg to the Lords of Bibra in 1374. On March 13, 1391, these ceded the Hallenburg to the Henneberg-Aschach line, as the Hartenberg line had died out. In 1549, the castle and the Hallenberg office were violently taken by Count Wilhelm IV of Henneberg-Schleusingen due to a succession dispute (extinction of the Aschach-Römhild line).

Decline

When the Henneberg comital house died out in 1583, the castle became the focus of constant inheritance disputes, pledges, and divisions of inheritance. In 1584, the Hallenberg office passed to the Saxon ruling house due to a hereditary alliance. An inventory list and building accounts of the Hallenburg from 1584 are preserved. Until 1588, the Hallenburg was the seat of the castellan and district administrator. After that, only a farmer lived in the lower buildings of the castle. The district administration was merged with Kühndorf at the end of the 16th century, which meant the decline of the castle. In 1608, by sovereign command, the ruinous Hallenberg house with all its buildings was demolished. Since then, the castle has been a ruin.

In the turmoil of the Thirty Years' War, the ruin served the valley inhabitants as protection against the advancing hordes of war. In 1624, Steinbach-Hallenberg was attacked by imperial cavalry. Any remaining woodwork was probably burned.

Rediscovery and Preservation

Only in the 19th century were efforts made again to preserve the ruin. The reason was the admiration for medieval life and medieval art that began with Romanticism. In 1850, a budget of 65 thalers was approved for the maintenance of the ruin. In 1866, the Kurhessian state forests, including the Hallenburg, were gifted to Duke Ernst of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha.

Rockfall

When the steeply protruding rock pulpit hanging on the west side collapsed on August 20, 1919, the overall appearance of the castle was destroyed. However, the disaster had been announced long before. Suspicious cracks in the rock pulpit were met with a warning sign and the closure of the area. The falling porphyry rock carried a workshop in the valley with it and completely destroyed it. Miraculously, no one was injured.

In 1945, the ruin was included in the protected monuments of the district. Significant funds were made available for its preservation. Since 1984, a roof hood, based on an old model, once again crowns the tower.